Roll Down Your Windows
by LuckyxLabradoodlexLoverx7
Summary: AU: Angel's grandma Claudia has passed away and Angel's thoughts about it. Set to the songs Atencion and Alabanza from the musical In the Heights. Two-shot. Rated T for language. NOW COMPLETE!
1. Atencion

Disclaimer – I own nothing of In the Heights or RENT. They both belong to their respected owners. 'Nuff said. I can say, however, that I do own my original characters.

_**Italics **_are song lyrics and thoughts.

A/N: I have been contemplating writing this story and I finally decided to write it.

A/N 2: For this story, Angel is out of drag, so he'll be known as Dumott.

Summary: AU: Angel's grandma Claudia has passed away and her thoughts about it. Set to the songs Atencion and Alabanza from the musical In the Heights. Two-shot. Rated T for language.

Genre: Angst/None

Rating: T

* * *

CHAPTER ONE  
(chapter title – Atencion)

Dumott Schunard felt tears in his eyes as he walked down the street. The stars were twinkling in the sky, but he hardly noticed them. His grandma Claudia had passed away at noon that day. Dumott and his cousin, Usnavi, were there, holding her hand and softly singing to her as her soul passed into the next world.

_Atencion  
Atencion  
Roll down your windows  
Turn up your radios  
Un momento, por favor  
Atencion  
Atencion  
Please drive slow  
Let everybody know  
Abeula Claudia passed away  
At noon today._

Dumott and his grandma – or Abeula – had been extremely close and it was hard to let her go.

"Dumott?" a familiar voice called. Dumott looked over his shoulder and saw his friends, Lonny, David and Sheila, come running towards him. He hugged each of them as they approached him. All three of them had known Abeula well and had tears in their eyes, like Dumott.

"I can't believe she's gone." Shelia broke the silence. Dumott nodded in agreement as the four of them headed to the Cat Scratch Club, where their other friend, Mimi, worked.

Mimi was changing when Shelia entered the dressing room, tears in her eyes.

"Sheila? What's wrong?" Mimi inquired.

"Abeula passed away today." Sheila answered.

"Dumott's Abeula?" Mimi questioned. Shelia nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"He's taking it pretty hard, Meems." Shelia told her, taking Mimi's hand and led the way out of the club.

"Dumott, sweetie, I'm so sorry." Mimi told her dearest friend, hugging him close.

"I'll be okay, honey." Dumott reassured Mimi. She nodded, completely trusting her friend.

"We'll help out with everything." Lonny spoke up. Dumott nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

Dumott decided to call it a night and head to his loft, knowing that he had a lot of work to do in the coming days.


	2. Alabanza

CHAPTER TWO  
(chapter title – Alabanza)

Two months later, it was Abeula's funeral, but Dumott didn't feel like going, but he had to. If it had been his funeral, he would want his friends to be there.

"She was found and pronounced at the scene  
She was already lying in bed  
The paramedics said  
That her heart gave out.  
I mean, that's basically what they said.  
They said a combination of stress and the heat  
Why she never took her medicine, I'll never understand.  
I'd like to think she went out in peace.  
With pieces of bread crumbs in her hand  
Abeula Claudia had simple pleasures.  
She sang the praises of things we ignore  
Glass Coke bottles, breadcrumbs, a sky full of stars  
She cherished these things.  
She'd say "Alabanza"  
Alabanza means to raise this thing to God's face and to sing  
Quite literally "praise to this"  
When she was here, the path was clear  
And she was just here  
She was just here." Dumott told the congregation, tears in his eyes.

Maureen got up from out of her seat and walked up next to Dumott and put a hand on his shoulder.

"_Alabanza  
Alabanza a Dona Claudia, Senor  
Alabanza, Alabanza  
Alabanza  
Alabanza a Dona Claudia, Senor  
Alabanza, Alabanza._" Maureen sang softly, her voice growing louder with each note. Joanne and Mimi looked at each other and followed suit, standing on either side of Dumott.

"_Alabanza  
Alabanza a Dona Claudia, Senor._" The three women's voices blended wonderfully. Roger then walked up to the group and stood next to Mimi, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"_Alabanza, Alabanza._" Roger crooned.

"_Alabanza  
Alabanza a Dona Claudia, Senior._" Collins, Mark and Benny joined in, walking up to the group.

"_Alabanza, Alabanza._" Paul and Gordon sang from their seats, standing as they sang.

"_Alabanza!  
Alabanza!  
Alabanza!_" the entire congregation joined in, standing up and clasped hands with their neighbors.

"_Alabanza._" Dumott whispered, holding back his tears as Abeula's coffin was lowered into the ground.

After the funeral, Dumott headed back to his loft, his friends following him. The eight of them were going to sort out Abeula's things. Abeula kept everything, so it was only harder to throw something away.

"What about these?" Roger inquired, indicating to a box of Precious Moments. Abeula loved Precious Moments and had kept them all around her house.

"Wrap them and put them in a box." Dumott instructed. Roger nodded and with Mimi's help, the two of them got busy with that.

Maureen felt tears in her eyes as she and Joanne sorted out Abeula's doll collection. Joanne put a comforting hand on her partner's shoulder, letting her know it was okay to cry.

"I miss Abeula so much." Maureen sobbed into Joanne's shoulder.

"I know, sweetie. I miss her, too." Joanne soothed, feeling tears in her own eyes.

The eight of them took a break for lunch before getting back to work. Mark suddenly felt a smile on his face and before he knew it, he was bursting out laughing. The others looked at him as though he were crazy.

"Mark? What's so funny?" Dumott wanted to know.

"A memory I had of Abeula." Mark answered.

"Can we hear this memory?" Collins inquired.

"Do you guys remember when we were making popcorn and we burned it and Abeula said it tasted like barbequed charcoal?" Mark questioned.

"Oh yeah, I remember that." Roger spoke up, stuffing a taco into his mouth.

"Roger, I felt the baby kick." Mimi told him, taking his hand in hers. Roger could definitely feel the baby beneath his hand.

"She's active, isn't she?" Roger asked, smiling at Mimi.

"Whoa – you two are expecting?" Mark spoke up.

"We were going to keep it a secret, but I'm expecting a little girl in two months." Mimi told her friends, beaming at Roger.

"Do you have any names picked out?" Dumott asked.

"We do. If it's okay with you, Dumott, we would like to name her Claudia Sonia – after your Abeula." Roger said.

"I think Abeula would love that." Dumott told him, hugging the couple tightly.

Once lunch was over, everyone went back to work, except Mimi – Dumott had given her permission to sit down and even gave her some lemonade to drink.

* * *

Exactly two months later, Mimi went into labor very early in the morning and delivered a healthy, HIV-negative, perfect baby girl named Claudia Sonia Davis, at 11:45 PM that night.

"She's perfect." Roger told Mimi as he held his daughter for the first time.

"She is." Mimi croaked, resting her head against the pillow. The labor had been very rough on Mimi and Roger didn't blame her for being tired.

"Are you up for visitors?" Maureen inquired, poking her head in.

"Only two visitors at a time – I'm exhausted." Mimi told her friends. Roger put little Claudia in her basinet and went to hug Maureen and Joanne as they entered the room.

"Oh my God, Rog – she's beautiful!" Joanne whispered as she saw Claudia.

"She hasn't cried once since she was delivered." Roger told his friends, carefully picking up Claudia and handed her to Maureen.

"WAAAAAAAH!" Claudia screamed. Maureen tried to calm her down by singing Over the Moon, but that didn't work.

"Maureen, let me take her for a minute – I promise you'll get her right back." Roger reassured Maureen, carefully taking his baby out of the drama queen's arms and handed her to Mimi.

"Shh, my darling. You're all right." Mimi soothed Claudia as she drank from her bottle.

"Roger, I'm so sorry." Maureen apologized.

"It wasn't your fault, Maureen." Roger told her, watching Claudia drink her bottle.

* * *

Two years later, however, there was another tragedy in the family – Mimi had suddenly passed away. Dumott and Roger couldn't stop bawling as Mimi's coffin was lowered into the ground. Collins and Mark did their best to calm the two of them, but there was nothing that the two men could do.

After the funeral, Roger stormed home and closed himself in his room, vowing to never fall in love again. He had all to keep him happy – his little Claudia.

"Where da da?" Claudia asked Joanne, who was playing with her.

"Your daddy's a little upset right now." Joanne answered, picking up a My Little Pony and examined it.

"Auntie Jo, what wong?" Claudia inquired.

"Nothing, sweetie. Want to watch a movie?" Joanne questioned, changing the subject. Claudia nodded and squeezed Joanne's hand, letting her know that everything was okay.

Later that night, once Claudia was fast asleep, Mark decided to check on his friend. He gently knocked on Roger's bedroom door.

Silence.

Mark was worried and banged a little louder on the door. He heard shuffling and the door slid open to reveal a shirtless Roger standing in the doorway.

"What?" Roger croaked.

"Just wanting to make sure you're okay." Mark told his friend.

"I'm fucking fine, Mark." Roger snapped. Mark backed off and exited the loft, but not before checking on Claudia. The little girl was fast asleep, clinging to her favorite stuffed bear named Carmel. Mark kissed Claudia's forehead and exited the room.

* * *

A year has passed and here's an update:

Dumott and Collins were committed in City Hall with Maureen, Joanne and Roger as their witnesses.

Mark fell in love with a girl named Lynette. They married and welcomed a son – Roger Ethan Cohen – into the world a year later.

Maureen and Joanne adopted two-year-old twin girls from China. The women named the babies Harmony and Melody.

Roger and Claudia are enjoying their life together – Claudia is now three years old and looking more and more like her father with each passing day. Roger vowed to never fall in love again, seeing how much love can be taken away from him. Instead, he got a miniature collie named Lassie.

Benny, however, divorced from Alison, moved to Chicago, fell in love and married a waitress named Lilly and welcomed a daughter, Anna, into the world on October 24th.

_Measure Your Life In Love_


End file.
